Figments of my Imagination
by Pristine Harbringer
Summary: It's the year 2004 and the new Gatekeeper squadron Team BLITZ has just noticed the apperance of Invaders... again. New Gatekeepers arrive at the scene and promise to keep the earth safe while worrying about passing Algebra. pLEASE REVIEW!
1. Awakening

Disclaimer: I do not own Gatekeepers and i have created the characters on this story by free will and was not at all tortured to posting this or anything...

Ahem...

Thank you and have a nice day...

Chapter 1  
Awakening  
  
The sun shone bright upon Tokyo as 16-year-old Kiko Sakuraba woke up from his world of dreams that fateful day. Well, almost woken up that is.  
"KIKO!!!"  
  
"Huh? Are you an angel?"  
"It's your mother, baka! Now wake up and get ready, I want everything perfect for everyone's first day of school."  
Kiko groaned. It was the worst day in every year, the first day of school, how could he have forgotten?  
"What did you say?"  
"Nothing, oka-chan."  
His eyes were open but his mind was still enclosed in his dreams. Every summer, since the big opening of his father's business, Kiko's family started moving, a lot. They're departure from Morioka was as far back as he can remember, even before his little brother was born. Because of this, he didn't have a chance to build lasting friendships.  
He forced his brain up and dragged his heavy body into the bath. He closed his eyes as the water from the shower enveloped him.  
Ever since his family started moving, he had been having weird dreams every night. It always had this girl in it, even though she wasn't always visible; her presence lingered everywhere in his dreams. The weirdest thing is, every time Kiko plunged to take a closer look at the girl, she always manages to vanish in a flash of light.  
BANG!!!  
Kiko's concentration was broken in his brothers' entire ruckus; enter his mother trying to calm them down.  
"I'm leaving!" Kiko called out to his struggling family, trying to wrestle his younger brother into submission after eating breakfast, "I'll see you guys after school. Sayonara Oto-sama, Oka-sama."  
"Be careful- GEROFF ME KAJI!!!- Kiko-chan!" his mother called out to him before leaving, "You don't know the streets well and if I get another letter saying that you've poisoned the school rabbits or anything-"  
"Oka-sama, I've never poisoned the school rabbits before..."  
"Great idea though!" his brothers Kaji and Ken chorused as Kiko left the house.  
People always said Kiko had very warm beetle-black eyes, but would turn like a hawk's in crisis, contrary to his happy-go-lucky mouth. He had short locks that always seemed to fall back in place when disturbed. He had quite a permanent tan in combination with his smart face that made some girls swoon for him in his old schools. Not exactly the honor student, he was known for being one of the most notorious pranksters in the face of Japan. Once he even blew up the school's toilets. He wouldn't look at it, but he had a knack of keeping out of trouble and managing to be popular at the same time.  
What use is it to be popular when you don't have any real friends? It'll be different this time, I just know it! I'll find her, I know she's here, and I can feel her presence! Kiko thought to himself Oto-sama can never make me leave again!   
"Gatekeeper Mimi Relina Yagami!"  
"Hai, Kacho!!!"  
This is Mimi Yagami, 15, the pioneer Gatekeeper of the Task Force Team BLITZ, headed by Chief Forte Kobayakawa, a.k.a. the vice principal of Tokyo Polytechnic University. Mimi stood there before the chief in silence, not knowing what to do.  
Mimi was one of those rare girls who had the look of someone who had grown so much in a short period of time but was really still a kid at heart. She had a clever face and brain that made up for all of her childishness, and intelligent blackish brown eyes. Her untidy hair sat on her head in two ponytails.  
"Miss Yagami, we need you on the eastern street near the school," Chief Forte instructed her, "Invader activity seems to be strong from that area."  
"Asameshi mae! I'm going."  
And maybe be early for math class for once! Mimi silently thought to herself.  
And as if destiny couldn't be any naughtier...  
Déjà vu is a sensation wherein you think that you have experienced this particular situation before or a certain vent has been repeated for you again. In this story you our heroes will be experiencing several moments of déjà vu such as...  
"You!" Kiko exclaimed as his and Mimi's eyes both met at the empty street, "I- I know you! I've seen you before!"  
"So you do," Mimi raised an eyebrow at this and gave Kiko an exasperated smile, "And I really have to go right now, sir. Be seeing you!"  
  
Mimi walked into a dark alley, being tailed closely by Kiko with unceasing determination. She broke into a run, trying to get away from what she saw as a crazed lunatic that was Kiko.  
It's her! The girl in m dreams!  
Oh no! This can't be happening! Doesn't this guy ever give up? I have to lose him before-  
"Uh-oh-"  
Mimi threw a piercing look at Kiko, who stood rooted on the spot openmouthed. Before them was an enormous iron-grey and black worm with a tie and a face, towering above the buildings.  
"You shouldn't have followed!" Mimi snapped at him, "Stay there while I get rid of this pest!"  
Mimi motioned something with her palms, as if drawing a circle in thin air.  
"Open the Gate!!!" she shouted at the top of her voice; spirals of delicate yellow appeared before her.  
She opened her backpack and revealed what appeared to be a purple mechanical crossbow. She took out a few missiles from a compartment attached to her leg and fitted them onto the crossbow.  
"Arrow of Light!!" she yelled, releasing the arrow with pinpoint accuracy at the worm.  
The arrow radiated with yellow light from the spirals as it hit the worm on its face. The worm thrashed about in anguish, hitting everything in sight, even Mimi. She rolled in the ground and landed beside Kiko, apparently unable to move.  
"H-hey..." Kiko stuttered, "A-are you- OK?"  
Mimi looked at Kiko acidly, clutching her ribs, that were apparently broken. She tried to get up (the worm was still thrashing about), but the pain from her side was so excruciating that she fell back down again.  
"Go, save yourself," Mimi choked, "You won't live long if you stay here anyhow. That guy's gonna flatten you if you don't"  
By instinct, Kiko stood up and picked up a metal pipe that was littered on the floor. He had been Kendo champion on his old schools after all, but then he had a feeling this wouldn't be any other Kendo match; this would be the difference between life and death. That thought was quickly replaced when he heard the girl in his dreams stir; whatever happens, he had to protect her.  
As he positioned himself into a stance, he felt something on his grip. It was Mimi, supporting his hand. She had healed herself using her power. He looked at the worm and saw that the same spirals he saw with Mimi was now before him, only it was a cool shade of blue.  
"Go," was Mimi's words.  
He lunged forwards and hit the worm with all the force he could muster, his heart full of undying valor. Mimi was with him, supporting what little power she had left. Their forces were so strong that the pipe broke into a thousand pieces.  
With a single earsplitting growl, the worm itself exploded into blue- green crystalline pieces.  
Kiko stood there in disbelief, staring at the rain of crystals. The touch of triumph was so strong that he couldn't help but grin.  
"YATA!!!" he managed to shout, leaping up into the air, "I did it!!"  
But how did I do it? Was the question that bothered him.  
Kiko then felt a cold hand on his shoulder.  
"Come with me Gatekeeper."


	2. Her Highness

Chapter 2  
Her Highness  
  
"Gatekeeper?"  
"Yes, a Gatekeeper," Mimi said simply, "Now, if you would just allow me to call HQ, Kacho would be very happy to help you cope up with your potentials."  
Kiko just stood there, befuddled at everything. The girl in front of him, the blue spirals that appeared and the giant worm, everything was still a mystery.  
"You can help me by introducing yourself," Kiko told her hopefully.  
"It doesn't matter who I am right now," Mimi sighed, "What matters is that I get you to my superiors immediately."  
"But it does matter!" Kiko protested, "I don't know why but-"he hesitated for a moment, "I see you in my dreams almost every night and I'm not letting you walk away without knowing the reason why."  
  
Mimi turned away from Kiko, a deep secret weighing in her heart. Yes, she recognized Kiko from the moment she saw him in the street. He was that boy she used to spy on when Kiko's family was still in Morioka. A silly little girl she was then, not knowing what true feelings really meant for her. The moment she laid eyes on Kiko, the whole world seemed to have fallen down on her. She never had a chance to get to know him well either. All she knows is that the day Kiko left for Morioka (which was 10 years ago), she got the chance to give him the thing she had been working on for months, a stuffed teddy bear she had sewn together with patches from her mom's laundry. Then she made a quick escape by running as fast as she could and leaving Kiko befuddled. And she still didn't get to know his name.  
"Fine," Mimi breathed deeply, "I'm Mimi Relina Mignonette Renaldi Yagami, fourth year high school in Tokyo University, daughter of the world- famous Takaharu Yagami. Satisfied?"  
"Well..." Kiko didn't know if it was right to introduce himself too.  
"Since I foresee that we would be working a lot together, I think it would be wise if I'd know your name too," Mimi contained her excitement with her acid look.  
"It's Kiko Rokuren Sakuraba, I'm also fourth year at Tokyo University, son of the Merchant of Morioka, Kenji Sakuraba" Kiko gave her a smile which was batted back by Mimi when she gave him an obvious frown, "Does that mean we're friends now?"  
"Dream on, Sakuraba" Mimi frowned unpleasantly, "It's my rotten luck that I have you for a classmate."  
Huh! As if the girl in my dreams couldn't be any nastier! Kiko thought really disappointed at his first meeting with Miss Yagami. Well, there goes my luck!  
Sheesh! What a dufus this guy is! And to think he was a bit cute when I first saw him... was Mimi's thoughts.  
"Mimi-chan!!!" called out a bespectacled boy from a van that came to them after a whole minute of confused silence  
"Eric!!!" Mimi waved at him cheerily, "I've found us a new Gatekeeper!"  
"Good going Mimi!" Eric punched her playfully on the shoulder.  
Behind Eric's back, however, Mimi gave Kiko a really disapproving look, the one that involved having your lips pursed together so tightly that they turn really pale. Eric beckoned Kiko into the van and shut the doors tightly.  
They drove in an uncomfortable silence, Mimi still pursing her lips, Kiko scratching his head and Eric throwing mischievous glances at both of them.  
"Well, are you ready- uh... what's your name again?" Eric asked Kiko.  
"Kiko, Kiko Rokuren Sakuraba," Kiko muttered.  
They were in Tokyo University. Eric led them into one of the PE Storerooms, which actually was a secret passage under the floorboards. In a minute, Kiko found himself in a room where all the biggest computer screens, high tech weaponry and world-class surveillance systems collided. Sitting in the middle of the room was what the students called as "The vice Principal."  
"Kacho!" Mimi saluted.  
"This is the new Gatekeeper," Kacho examined the breathless and nervous Kiko, "No doubt he had never heard of the Gatekeepers before, am I correct? Well? Don't jus stand there boy, introduce yourself!"  
"M-me?" Kiko gulped, "Well, My full name is Kiko Rokuren Sakuraba and I'm in class 4-A of Tokyo Polytechnic High School. I'm 16 and I'm originally from Morioka."  
"Morioka, am I correct?" Kacho looked at Mimi thoughtfully who had begun to chew on her fingernails.  
"Uh- you do know that's disgusting, right?" Eric muttered to Mimi under his breath.  
"Let me explain Mr. Sakuraba, this Gatekeeper thing is no joke," Kacho told him, "Mimi, would you do the honor of presenting the Gatekeeper history to our young guest here?"  
"I am honored," Mimi said sarcastically, "The year was 1969 when the Invaders started to infiltrate the earth. Invaders are aliens from another planet who are here to capture us humans and suck out our brains or do something similar-"  
"MIMI!"  
"Ok, ok," Mimi snarled, "The thing you saw back there was an example of an Invader run amok. Now, the first Gatekeeper team, Team Aegis, was formed. Now, a Gatekeeper's job is to make sure the earth is not run over by Invaders. What is a Gatekeeper you say? A Gatekeeper is a person who has the ability to open portals to other dimensions and get energy from it to channel into powerful attacks. The spirals you saw back there were what we call the Open Gates. The first Gatekeeper, Ruriko Ikusawa, had the same Gate as I did, The Gate of Life. You had the same Gate as Shun Ukiya, their loyal leader, The Gate of Vacuum. Got all that? Good. Quiz on Friday."  
  
She said all that very fast.  
"This is madness," Kiko said simply, "I am not a Gatekeeper, and I'm not paying this school to teach me cheap magic tricks."  
"I knew we'd come to this," Kacho laughed, "Mimi believed me when I first-"  
"Kacho, I was six."  
"I knew you were," Kacho said matter-of-factly, "The point is, Kiko, it's up to you if you believe me and the others or not, it's your choice. But what I'm saying is that what you saw and what you did back there was not a cheap magic trick."  
"I'm sorry, you have the wrong guy," Kiko explained, what he couldn't explain, how he did it, "I was Kendo champ, that's why I-"  
"Yeah, as if it was a coincidence that you opened a Gate right before you hit that Invader smack in the face," Mimi groaned, "If there's one thing I hate..."  
"You always seem to hate everything, Mimi," Eric pointed out.  
"Well, you get the idea," Mimi snapped at him, "If you won't join us now then..."  
"Mimi, Eric is right," Kacho told her (Kiko's heart leapt at the sight of this nasty girl being told off), "It's not our business if he doesn't want to join us, it's his choice and his right deciding not to. Kiko, I hope you have not completely made up your mind. I see a little of Shun Ukiya in you, doubtful at first but is willing to sacrifice everything for his mom and his little sister Saemi. If you ever want to come back, Team BLITZ is happy to accommodate you."  
"I'll think about it," Kiko told them, "But don't expect anything from me."  
Kiko made his way up the school where the students were enjoying their lunch period. Mimi came after him, still wearing the disapproving look she wore earlier.  
"Kacho said I should show you to your room," Mimi muttered, "Follow me."  
She led him up the second floor of the University through each and every staring eye and scorning mouth.  
"Hey, I didn't know Her Highness would've a little boyfriend soon enough," said a dark-haired, popular senior standing near the 4A classroom.  
"Ignore her," Mimi whispered at Kiko, but she had turned very red, "That's Jira Noriko Rentarou. She's the biggest bakero-saru this school has ever known."  
Kiko finally began to laugh but Mimi eyed him dangerously. Jira made her way to Kiko's side and started acting pretty. Kiko raised an eyebrow and followed Mimi into the room.  
"This is where I'm sitting," Mimi showed him a seat at the center of the classroom, "You could sit there since no one ever had the guts to sit beside me."  
"That's because you're the biggest cakesniffer this school ever had the guts to take in," Jira spat at Mimi.  
Mimi's knuckles were now shaking as Kiko took his seat beside her. Jira was now throwing insults at Mimi like hailstorms.  
"Don't worry, they're always doing this to me," for the first time ever, Mimi looked as if she was going to burst out of the room and cry.  
But she didn't. She sat there and took all of Jira's insults without a word.  
"Silence in golden, Your Highness," Jira scowled, "No wonder you haven't got any friends."  
That was it. Mimi stood up and marched out from the room, her eyes full of tears. Kiko threw a nasty look at the guffawing Jira and pursued Mimi out of the room. She led him up into the rooftop, where no other students dare to go.  
"Oi, are you ok?" Kiko sat down beside the sobbing Mimi and offered her a handkerchief, "You know you shouldn't just sit there and take their insults, and you have to go down fighting if you have to. I thought you would, I thought you were as tough as girls can get."  
"I'm not," Mimi told him amidst her tears, "Jira always has her way and she's right about me having no friends, nobody likes to go in the wrong side of Jira. What's use of being the leader at everything and class valedictorian if you don't have any friends?"  
"Now that's an insult!" Kiko exclaimed, trying to make Mimi smile, "I thought we were friends."  
"I figured you wouldn't be my friend after how I treated you back there," Mimi's voice became halfway between a smile and a sob.  
"Well, why did you treat me like that when all you wanted was a friend?" Kiko marveled at how strange this girl could get.  
"I- I'm just like that with someone new," the real reason was on the tip of her tongue, but she decided not to tell him at the last second.  
"Just one more question," Kiko couldn't contain his curiosity, "Why did Jira call you Your Highness?"  
"Well, my mom was supposed to be the Duchess of England," Mimi told him, "But I'm an illegitimate child, so I could never be able to ascend anyone's throne although I am the eldest, let alone go to London. But you know what? I'd love to go to London someday."  
"You would?"  
"Yup," Mimi looked up into the sky, not a single tear in her eyes anymore and smiling widely, "I'm going to leave this country and live there someday, it's my dream to go there you know. I never told this to anyone before..."  
"Well, I see you're smiling now," Kiko said, smiling himself, "Let's go down."  
"Hey," Mimi put a hand on Kiko's shoulder, "Kiko- arigato." 


	3. The Gatekeeper from Hokkaido

Chapter 3  
The Gatekeeper of Hokkaido  
  
Hokkaido, Japan is a sight to behold. Even the Duchess' daughter Mimi Yagami is impressed by the greens creeping on the beautiful isle as the Team BLITZ helicopter makes its way across the Soya Strait from Morioka. "I wish we could've stayed in Morioka longer," Kiko grumbled, "I didn't even have the chance to visit my old school." Mimi concealed her smile until Eric exclaimed: "We're going to land at Hakodate in a minute! I suggest you two better be budging along." They were sent by Chief Kobayakawa to scout a brand new Gatekeeper since the war with the Invaders was waging stronger than before. The Chief instructed them to head on to Sapporo and search for anyone who can pinpoint a certain Gee Fukusama. "This will be hard work," Kiko complained, "Whoever thought of finding someone who doesn't even have a picture at the scanner?" "Hey! We're here!!!" Mimi shrieked like a hyperactive child. "Have you ever been to Hokkaido, Mimi?" Kiko figured. "Nope!" Mimi excitedly got off the car and off into the street, "Hey, why don't we-" "Start on the mission," Kiko told her, "Why don't we split up? You take that side and I take that side? Let's meet back here at about an hour, ok?" Mimi gave him the same disappointed look she gave him the first time they met. Nevertheless, she went off into the path through town. People passed her, uninterested at the young Gatekeeper. She went off, questioning countless people on Gee Fukusama, but to no avail. She combed through each and every shop and house but nobody had even heard of a Gee Fukusama. Meanwhile, Kiko was having the same luck as Mimi was. He asked everybody in sight (especially the pretty girls in kimonos which blushed when they saw him) but never found anything relevant. "Found anything?" Mimi asked hopefully as they met an hour later. "Close to the range of a teaspoon," Kiko sighed, "You?" "Nada," Mimi frowned, "I am not failing this mission!" "Yare, yare," Kiko patted her back, "Don't worry, we'll find her, but first, we can't work on an empty stomach! Let's grab some ramen, my treat!" They went into a ramen shop, which was dingy and almost empty, except for a few men drinking glasses of sherry and themselves. The clumsy, clattery waitress went into their table to take their orders. They both noted she was as young as the both of them and had a tomboyish face and hair that was concealed in a baseball cap. Her eyes were sharp and looked like a hawk's. She was also very frail and a bit short for her age. She almost looked like a boy. "What will you two have?" She said in a roguish tone, "Well, hurry up! I ain't got all day, you know!" No sooner did Kiko finish their order when the lady behind the counter shrieked: "GEE FUKUSAMA!!!" Mimi and Kiko turned around and saw the waitress march towards the counter lady and began to carry some plates and cups into the kitchen. Mimi had a grin on her face that was almost ear-to-ear and Kiko sighed in triumph. "She's here!" Kiko exclaimed, "You are the luckiest girl I have ever known, Mimi!" Mimi's face gave off a brilliant shade of magenta and she started to bite her fingernails again. Gee Fukusama gave them their two bowls of ramen and two sets of chopsticks. "Enjoy," she glowered sarcastically. "Wait!" Kiko beckoned her to sit down at their table, "Can you sit down with us for a minute? We want to know your name." "Didn't you hear that crackpot at the counter practically yell it out for the whole restaurant to hear?" Gee Fukusama told them sadly, "I'm Gee Fukusama, I-" Suddenly, a crash was heard from the counter area. The men who were drinking evidently got so drunk that they had begun to destroy everything in sight and molest the counter lady. Gee threw them a piecing look and marched towards the men angrily. She lifted a table effortlessly and threw it at the men, knocking all four of them to the ground. She picked up one of them, held him over her head and threw him out the window. The other three got up and ran away as fast as they could before she could do away with them. Mimi and Kiko stood open-mouthed at Gee, who looked a bit embarrassed at the sudden display of her strength. "I'm going off work early Mrs. Shakuhachi!" Gee fled from the shop as fast as she could, Mimi and Kiko on her tail. Gee walked on and on until she got to the outskirts of Sapporo. Kiko and Mimi followed her on and on, through a vast field of flowers. Mimi took a glance at their surroundings and couldn't help but grin. She took off her sneakers and ran through the field like a little girl, unaware Kiko was staring. She plopped to the ground and dandelions soared through the air. "Ei, we have a mission, remember?" Kiko reminded her as she lounged like a lizard. Mimi got up and they followed Gee on and on. "I used t think of a little poem the poet Dylan Thomas wrote when I see sights like these," Mimi sighed and recited:  
  
"Never and never, my girl riding far and near, In the land of hearthstone tales, and spelled asleep, Fear or believe that the wolf in sheep-white hood, Loping and bleating roughly and blithely shall leap, my dear, my dear, Out of a lair in flocked leaves in dew dipped year, To eat your heart in the house in the rosy wood."  
  
"It's like music," Kiko told her having never heard of any romantic poetry spoken aloud before. "It is music," Mimi blushed on revealing such a secret part of her, "I think we're here. Gee had entered a shack in the middle of the field. Kiko and Mimi peeked through the window that was no larger than a computer monitor. The young waitress was sitting beside a bed of a very sick middle-aged woman. Around her, three very hungry and very dirty children were gathered. Gee looked into their unhappy eyes and smiled. "I'm very sorry Marmee," Gee took her mother's hand, "I wasn't able to nick any food from the kitchens today, but I did get enough from my wages to buy your medicine." Mimi wasn't able to watch anymore for she broke down crying. Her sobs were so loud that Gee heard and went outside to check on the ruckus. "You two again!" Gee shook her fist angrily at the both of them, "The nerve of you coming here and eavesdropping on us!" "Gee," Kiko tried to calm her down, "We're here to inform you of something very important, a piece of information that you probably have never heard of before."  
"Miho," Gee beckoned to her younger sister, "Get your siblings inside and take care of Marmee for a while, ok?"  
The girl went into the house and closed the door after her. Gee took a deep breath and Mimi began the same lecture as she did with Kiko. At the end of the lecture, Gee was holding her breath and was turning pale instead of blue.  
"If this is a joke, it's a very elaborate one," Gee shook her head, "No way am I leaving my family behind to get on some crazy scheme about aliens and alternate dimensions. I'm sorry but I have to ask you to leave."  
Suddenly, Mimi's watch vibrated the signal of a call from the Chief. She motioned for Kiko to go on convincing Gee as she took the call.  
"Kacho, what's the matter?" Mimi asked in a voice barely more than a whisper.  
"Mimi, scanners indicate Invaders on Sapporo, you have to-"  
The Chief's voice was droned by a loud hum.  
"INVADERS!" Kiko shouted and pointed at a huge ball that materialized in front of them, "Now do you believe us, Gee?"  
Kiko had spoken too soon. Gee was now picking up a massive boulder that was sitting on the side of the road and hurling it at the Invader. The same spirals had appeared in front of Gee, in a shade of mint green. The Invader seemed to be shaking and was turning paler as the boulder made contact.  
"Arrow of Light!"  
Mimi had joined the fray, firing her usual arrows at the black ball. The Invader began to shrink until it was half its original size. Kiko took out his Kendo stick (modified by Eric to tap into the Gate's powers) began bonking the Invader furiously.  
"Get away from my family!" Gee yelled at the stubborn Invader, "Get away from Marmee!"  
She bravely lifted up the boulder again and flung it at the Invader until it was cut in half. The ball had a red face inside the center.  
'There!" Mimi motioned to Kiko, "GO KIKO!"  
Kiko broke into a run and slashed the inside of the Invader with a flash of blue energy. In a moment, the Invader had been reduced to nothing but green crystals. Gee couldn't help but beam at the both of them.  
"Domo Arigato Gozaimasu," Gee said, bowing at the both of them, "I will go with you two, if that what it takes to defend my family. But if this is a joke..."  
"Do you think we'd pull a joke on you if we just saw what you can do?" Kiko figured.  
"Gee, you'll be receiving free education from Tokyo University, courtesy of Team BLITZ," Mimi told her in technical terms, "And I think we would just be classmates."  
"I would love that." 


	4. A Songbird Without Wings

Chapter 4  
The Songbird without Wings  
  
"Remind me why we're doing this again," Gee muttered to Mimi one very hot day.  
"We're doing this so that we could go to school together," Mimi answered primly, "Gatekeepers always have to stick together."  
"Right," Gee raising her eyebrow and adjusting her cap, 'Why don't you just admit you have a crush on the guy?"  
"I do not!" Mimi protested as she started to bite her fingernails again, "Those are the rules, Gee."  
"Well, Shun Ukiya and Ruriko Ikusawa did end up together," Gee figured, "And that's disgusting, Mimi-chan."  
"So?" Mimi countered, "It doesn't have anything to do with me and Kiko. We're protecting our world and that's what we have to do at all costs. Sorry about my nails. Damn, I'm going to gross the whole English nation with my bloody cuticles if I don't stop this until my entrée this November."  
"Huh! Royalty, why the hell do they always have to suck big time?" Gee threw up her hands in exasperation, "Don't worry, I will make you spit it out, Your Highness. I will make you admit!"  
"Just try," Mimi exclaimed, still biting her nails, "You'll need your luck for there isn't anything to admit!"  
By this time, Kiko had come out of his house and had joined Gee and Mimi. He was as fresh as a tulip today, humming tunelessly as he walked.  
"You look like you're in a good mood today," Gee teased, "Did Mimi finally 'fess up to you?"  
"Gee!" Mimi threw her an acid look.  
"I'm just as happy as you are," Kiko breathed the fresh Tokyo air heavily.  
"That means he's been up all night playing Ragnarök," Mimi sighed, "Don't you ever get tired of playing that crap?"  
Before Kiko could answer, a blaring drone was heard from the school speakers, it was a stupid song about dental hygiene that most students couldn't take.  
"That's the signal, we have to go report in," Mimi whispered.  
Quickly, they followed Mimi into the nearest trash can. Unfortunately for them, Jira was there, still armed with her poisonous tongue. She was only beginning to jeer Mimi when Kiko came to her rescue.  
"It's better to be a Duchess' daughter and be able to top Algebra than a slut that just happens to fail Physics," Kiko shot mercilessly at Jira, "And if you would just be as whorish enough to let us pass, me and my friends are just going to head into class now."  
Jira stood tongue-tied with her equally cruel posse as the three Gatekeepers make their way to the PE Storeroom with triumphant faces. The Chief was absent but Miss Tiffa Kitakami, assistant commander, was there to take his place.  
"Good morning Gatekeepers," Miss Kitakami began, "I hope you're all feeling tipsy today for the mission I have for you wouldn't be as exciting as the previous missions. I'll almost be sorry to send you through this one."  
"What is it Miss Kitakami?" Kiko asked politely.  
"I have been informed by a brand-new Gatekeeper you three have to see," Miss Kitakami showed them the picture of a beautiful brown-haired girl on the computer monitor. She was playing the violin. Her eyes were tantalizing in a shade of emerald green.  
"She's-"Kiko couldn't help but smile, "Pretty."  
"Yes, she is," Miss Kitakami smiled at him, "She's Japan's finest violin virtuoso, Miss Jing Megumi Yoshida. Word is, at Miss Yoshida's concerts, the audience feels things... no... sees things as though they were in an illusion. And in her concerts, Invader activity seems to stop abruptly. Gatekeepers, I want you to interview Miss Yoshida in her home. To help you with your mission, I asked Mr. Megane to soup up a car for all of you, driven by Mr. Sakuraba of course, since he's the most experienced driver."  
"You're kidding!" Kiko exclaimed as Miss Kitakami showed him to the garage.  
"Just don't do anything wild and I may just give up the car to you."  
Miss Kitakami had spoken too soon. No sooner had Eric given Kiko the keys when he got on the car with Mimi and Gee and started to blaze down onto the road. They were driving as fast as Kiko could take them. He "wa- hooed!" and Mimi pleaded for him to stop. Gee just hang on the back, crossing her arms and laughing. Then, a flash of red lights was seen. A cop! Kiko showed him his Team BLITZ ID and the cop stood there motionless. Kiko snickered as the cop let them off the hook.  
"Here we are," Kiko told his two passengers in the back seats, "Yoshida Mansion. Are you two ok?"  
"I think I'm going to be sick," Mimi was really a bit green in the face but Kiko ignored her and knocked on the front door.  
A butler opened the door for them and they went in, Gee supporting Mimi's shoulders. The huge hall was enough to snap Mimi off her nausea. Everywhere, there was a glimmer of gold, silver and ivory.  
"I will take it from here," a prudish and grim Governess snapped at the butler, "What so you want?"  
"We're here to interview the world-famous Jing Megumi Yoshida," Mimi invented, "For our-er-music class. If we would be permitted to see her..."  
"Of course, but I warn you, Miss Yoshida is very shy at accepting visitors," the Governess told them, "Follow me."  
The three followed the Governess, exchanging looks of some people who had seen the world's greatest fashion victim. From the feel of the house, it's more of a prison than a home. The Governess presented them a timid- looking girl that was actually very pretty. Kiko took one look at her and felt his head spinning.  
"Please, take your seats," the Governess told them, "Miss Yoshida..."  
Miss Yoshida bowed at them silently. The three exchanged looks of question.  
"Er-yes... well, Miss Yoshida, since what age did you start to play the violin?" Mimi asked.  
"Age three," the Governess answered promptly, not allowing Miss Yoshida answer Mimi, "And since then she used to be very masterful for a novice."  
"I was talking to Miss Yoshida, ma'am, not you," Mimi blurted out, she felt heat rise up to her face in anger, "Will you kindly answer the question, Miss?"  
"Rudeness will not be tolerated in this house!" the Governess, sensing Mimi's natural hotheadedness, exclaimed.  
"I-I've been p-playing i-instruments since I was t-two," Miss Yoshida finally stuttered in a very sweet singing voice, "I played the v-violin when I-I was th-three, and I was v-very g-good at it."  
"Miss Yoshida!" the Governess exclaimed in surprise, "It's the first time-"  
"I trust them, Auntie" Miss Yoshida smiled at the three, making Kiko melt on the spot, "You are all invited to my concert tonight. I wish you could all come. Thank you."  
She winked at Mimi and they were ushered out the house. As soon as they got out of the cold house, they looked at each other urgently. Shouts can be heard inside, a signal that the Governess had gone ballistic. Gee was the first to speak.  
"Poor girl," she said, "I couldn't say anything to her back there, I wish I had!"  
"Yeah," Kiko said, remembering Miss Yoshida's sad smile, "She was pretty too."  
Mimi couldn't say anything, her face was still burning and she wanted to kill that Governess who had snapped at her.  
"Are we going?" Kiko asked and the girls smiled in reply.  
Later that evening, the three met up at the lobby of the Tokyo Concert Hall. It was a formal event yet Gee wore her jacket and cargo pants. Mimi was throwing nasty looks at her the whole time they were finding their seats.  
"Why the hell did you wear that?" Mimi nudged her. She was in a semi- formal dress herself, her usually messy hair fixed up in two ponytails. It made her look like a grown-up schoolgirl.  
"How should I know this was supposed to be formal?" Gee snapped, "Besides, I don't want to wear a girly-girly dress that you can't even breathe in!"  
"Right," Kiko said, not listening to the girls' bickering, he was in elegant attire himself, "It's starting! You guys better stop it or I'll wring your necks."  
"I'll see him try!" Gee scowled.  
Miss Yoshida took her seat at the center of the stage and started to play her violin. The people around them "oh"-ed and "ah"-ed and they clearly saw why. The entire concert hall had been transformed into a large mountainside with the greenest grass and the freshest pine trees. Eagles soared overhead and birds chirped to their hearts' content. Her music was the most beautiful thing the three Gatekeepers have ever heard. No, to them, it was more than beautiful. Pink spirals suddenly appeared in front of the stage, whirling and whirling.  
Suddenly, Mimi's communicator beeped frantically. The people around her threw her spiteful looks.  
"Miss Kitakami?" Mimi whispered, "We've confirmed Miss Yoshida as a Gatekeeper."  
"I'm afraid something your way comes, Mimi," Miss Kitakami warned her, "Our sensors spotted Invaders inside the concert hall! They somehow managed to plug their ears with something!"  
Mimi turned around on her seat and saw dozens of people wearing black suits and sunglasses marching towards them, carrying big guns. Mimi motioned to Kiko and Gee and showed them the sickening sight. Suddenly, (Miss Yoshida was still playing, mind you) the Invaders started to fire their guns. The people took a cue and started to create a mass pandemonium. The weird thing was, Miss Yoshida didn't even budge.  
"Let's go, Team BLITZ!" Kiko yelled.  
"GATE OPEN!" they all chorused.  
"Aim for the ears!" Mimi told them.  
"Vacuum Missile!" Kiko got out his Kendo stick and produced dozens of projectiles.  
"Neko-Ken Attack!" Gee turned both her hands paw-like and scratched on the Invaders ears with her great strength and speed.  
As soon as the Invaders' "ear plugs" were removed, they succumbed to Miss Yoshida's music and soon nothing was left inside the hall but green crystals and the Gatekeepers. At this time, Miss Yoshida had come to her senses.  
"Did I miss anything?" 


	5. A Gender Related Dilemma

Chapter 5  
A Gender Related Dilemma  
  
His eyes were focused sharply with concentration and beads of sweat dropped steadily from his brow. The screen flickered with color and vibrancy as Kiko gave it all he could. His friends gathered around him with an intense and anxious atmosphere. It was only him and a single barrier that was obstructing him from the one dream he sought: a level 97 Natural Critical Assassin armed with two Triple Critical Jurs and a Mocking Muffler.  
"You can do it Kiko!" Jing cheered him on.  
"Go get 'em, Tiger!" Gee exclaimed.  
"Relax..." Eric wheezed in his ear.  
"Riiiiight..." Mimi rolled her eyes sarcastically, but was silently rooting for him too.  
He was deaf to their words; all he cared about was his Hunter's Bow and this guy's Triple Critical Jur and how to surpass him. He dodged and hit the guy with all the Oridecon arrows he's got. And then...  
"Did-did you... win?" Gee stuttered disbelievingly.  
"I..." Kiko was speechless in excitement.  
"YATA!!! Way to go, Kiko-chan!" Mimi evclaimed.  
"Well done," Jing said simply.  
"There's only one thing to be done in a situation like this one," Eric figured.  
Gee and Mimi smirked at each other.  
"BLOWOUT!!!"  
The gang went in the restaurant they had been dining in the last weeks. It was called Yosen-Shuka and their specialty was pork buns. While it was elegant in the outside, the inside was always a crowded place with much shouting and mess. They took their places near the kitchen door, where they sometimes liked to peek inside to watch the chefs at work.  
"What'll it be for you guys?" the smiling, flat-chested waitress asked them. Eric and Kiko both exchanged looks of amusement as the girls took care of their order.  
"What's the matter with you two?" Gee demanded.  
"Gay," Eric said simply, "The waitress is gay."  
"I don't think so," Mimi protested, "She looks very nice and her hair's excellent."  
"He wears make-up and the hair is a wig," Kiko countered, "We're boys, and boys know a girl from a gay."  
"Let's just say, gender-confused so that no one's going to blame no one," Jing, the peacemaker, said.  
"Your pork buns," the gender-confused waitress laid the steamers on the table and went into the kitchen hurriedly.  
"If you say so," Mimi agreed and they all began to eat their pork buns.  
Kiko went back home so exhausted with the thoughts of the spoils of war that he fell straight to sleep as soon as he got to his bed. No sooner had he entered dream world when his cellphone began to vibrate with Mimi's number on the screen.  
"Kiko!" Mimi's frantic voice startled him.  
"What? Is there an Invader attack!?" Kiko sat alertly awake.  
"I LOST OUR SCIENCE GROUP REPORT!!!"  
Ten minutes later, Kiko, Mimi, Gee and Jing were gathered in front of Yosen-Shuka with droopy eyes and jackets over their bathrobes. They hadn't had any time to change since they were all in a dash to save the only thing that would keep Kiko from failing physics (the girls didn't need to worry because they got a hundred and twelve percent at the exams).  
They approached the door silently and Gee twisted the doorknob to submission. The door creaked but nobody seemed to be inside. It was eerie to be in the old restaurant at night. Every gliding shadow seemed to be a dark phantom in the night.  
"It's still here, thank God," Gee muttered at a brown paper envelope under one of the tables, "C'mon, let's get outta here before someone kicks our asses."  
Suddenly, the kitchen lights turned on and the clank of utensils started to be heard, as of someone cooking something.  
"Let's leave this place and never eat here again, ok?" Mimi told them in an already panicky voice, "I'll lose all the points I got from Mr. Akihabara for knowing about central tendencies if we're caught!"  
She spoke too soon for Jing was already peering at the lighted kitchen. Apparently, somebody from the staff had stayed behind to do some cleaning. The other three glanced at each other in panic and had the sudden urge to leave Jing behind and head for the hills  
"Look over here, guys!" Jing motioned them.  
"SHHHH!!!!!" they shushed at her.  
Jing clasped her hands to her mouth. The guy inside didn't seem to hear Jing's voice. They peeked inside and saw the waitress they had seen earlier, only not wearing any more make-up. She was deeply absorbed in the making of her fried rice that she didn't notice the four staring at her from behind the kitchen window. The fire beneath the pan seemed to have increased in rage at the waitress' command, it was growing so large every second that they were in fear that the ceiling might catch fire. As the waitress was working, they caught sight of red spirals in the fire, a sure way that she was a Gatekeeper.  
"Ah! A GATEKEEPER!" Gee bellowed.  
This time the waitress took notice that someone was watching her. All of them except Gee dove to hide. She caught sight of Gee and Gee found out that what Eric and Kiko were saying was true. His (not her this time, mind you) wig fell off his head in alarm and Gee stared open-mouthed at the cutest guy she had ever seen.  
The guy panicked and the fire behind him grew and grew in intensity until what the gang feared happened. The ceiling caught fire and spread.  
"C'mon, let's get out of here before we get burned into a crisp!" Gee grabbed his hand and they ran out of the kitchen.  
The others were already outside and Jing was already in hysterics. Gee and the guy joined them and they ran away until they can't run anymore. They were halfway to Mimi's house when they ran out of breath and stopped.  
"Woo hoo!" Gee shrieked, "Let's do that again!"  
"Right," the guy said in a surprisingly deep voice, "I'm sorry to have done that. I just can't control the- never mind."  
"It's my fault, I didn't mean to scare you," Gee suddenly began to be conscious that she was still holding his hand so she let go and blushed.  
"Is this what I see?" Mimi said mischievously, "Gee, the one and only tomboy, is blushing?"  
"I am not!" she turned even redder.  
"Oh yes you are!"  
"AM NOT!"  
"YOU ARE!"  
Gee started to chase Mimi down the alley. Kiko had started to explain everything to the confused guy and Jing seemed to die of exhaustion at the corner.  
"I can't leave the restaurant," the guy said, "I have dreams of being a chef and I can't just fight battles the government has to take care of. I'm very sorry but I have to go back to my job back a Yosen."  
"If there is a Yosen to look forward to," Gee figured as soon as she got Mimi's hair out of her ponytails and practically ruined them, "You burned it already, remember? If you join Team BLITZ, you'll have a job and get an education at the same time. You'll be with us. You can start by telling us your name, stranger."  
"Can you please call me Cordelia?"  
"Your name is Cordelia???"  
"Er... no, I've been urging people to call me that, but they always refuse to. My real name is Leonel Takeru Kazama, I'm sixteen and an orphan," he said, "As much as I'd like to join you guys, I'd rather be a lousy gender-confused waitress..."  
"You heard our conversation?" Jing finally said.  
"Well, you guys were talking so loud it can be heard inside the kitchen," Leonel told them.  
"So that's the reason why you wouldn't join us!" Mimi exclaimed, she liked to psychoanalyze people, "To hell with that thought. We'd accept you even if you're gay."  
"Mimi!" Kiko snapped at her, "Don't mind her, she's always like that. Anyway, are you joining or not?"  
"I'm sorry," Leonel told them, "I really can't."  
And with that, he walked away. Gee watched him go without a word. She felt so sorry for the guy that she almost burst in tears, but of course she didn't. Mimi took one look at Gee and read her mind.  
"Oh, sens figuré misérable, Gee!" Mimi told her and to Jing she said, "Elle amour masculine! Que faire?"  
"She speaks French?" Kiko exclaimed in amazement, "I didn't know you spoke French. What did she say, Jing?"  
"Sorry," Jing smiled, "I can't tell you. It's our secret."  
"Women!" Kiko exclaimed in exasperation.  
"Don't worry," Gee told him, "I can't understand them either."  
The Gatekeepers continued their lives the next morning. The mysterious burning of Yosen-Shuka was on the news that morning but nobody dared to say a word about it. They got through the day alright except Gee, who was silent the whole day.  
"Hey, Gee! Odekake desu ka?" Mimi asked Gee as they went home that afternoon, "I thought boarded at the school dorm."  
"Yep, I'm going out," Gee answered, "I just have a feeling I might meet someone. See you later, Mimi."  
She walked down the path to Yosen, a peculiar feeling creeping up to her. She stood in front of Yosen, or what remained of it, and saw a familiar sight. Leonel was with her in a second, clearly lamenting the end of his workplace.  
"I guess I made a silly move last night," he said, "I'm lucky to have bumped you. I want to join you guys but I thought I wouldn't see you again."  
"As we said, you're always welcome," Gee started to smile, "Come on, I'll show you to the Chief."  
Gee couldn't help but grin. For the first time in her life, she felt like a girl. 


	6. Secret Admirers, Invaders, Poets and the...

Chapter 6  
Secret Admirers, Poets, Invaders, and then Some...  
  
"Don't you just love PE, Your Highness?" Jira jeered Mimi in the girl's locker room after she fell flat on her face during the jumps, "It is so nice having to see a future monarch falling from her throne, don't you think, girls?"  
The girls nodded in agreement.  
Mimi spoke to her in her pretty, fluent, French that left Jira speechless. She had been secretly practicing French in case her mother was to visit next week. Jing sniggered under her own locker as she got her school shoes out. Unexpectedly, a pink scented stationary fell out of her shoes. The paper said:  
  
"Roses are red,  
Violets are blue, You may not know it,  
But someone loves you..."  
  
She stared with a questioning and confused face at the paper. Unknown to her, Gee and Mimi were reading behind her shoulder. They exchanged glances of mixed disgust and excitement.  
"So, who's it from?" Mimi asked out of the blue as they made their way out of the locker room.  
"Whoever it is, he must be very good to get that in the girl's locker room," Gee said.  
"There's no signature," Jing answered, inspecting the card back to front, "And it's computerized."  
"Yap! You have a secret admirer, Jing-kun!" Mimi exclaimed, "You really are prettier than the both of us combined!"  
"I'm not pretty," Jing said timidly.  
The girls joined Kiko and Leonel on their usual spot at the cafeteria. Both boys were looking at them suspiciously from the girls' conspicuous faces. Leonel, who was very good at detecting any gossip of the sort from females, was first to speak up.  
"Hey, girl, you have something to 'fess up!" Leonel pushed at Jing, "I can smell your guilty little faces from a mile away."  
"How can't you?" Gee said, "You're gay."  
"Jing's got a secret admirer," Mimi piped up for Jing, who was as shy as ever. Kiko suddenly dropped his fork and it clattered on the floor.  
"Really?" he said, raising his brow as Gee and Leonel started a food fight between the both of them.  
"Uh-huh," Jing nodded, "He/She/It, wants me to meet him/her/it this afternoon at five if I want to meet him/her/it."  
"Hey guys," Eric had joined the now messy table, "The Commander wants you guys to report this afternoon at five. He's all psyched up about this company owned by one of the students. He said it's the main base of the Invaders, but I think he's just being paranoid."  
"Ugh," Mimi slumped, "I won't be there to see Jing's mystery man. Don't worry Jing-Jing, I'm gonna cover up for you."  
By this time, the whole cafeteria had joined in Gee and Leonel's fight. And they all knew that if you valued your outfit, you had to clear the cafeteria. Jing, Mimi and Kiko got out as fast as they could, but not fast enough for Mimi to not be hit on the side of her head by Tapioca Pudding thrown by Jira.  
"Damn," Mimi said, wiping her ponytails with Kiko's handkerchief, "This ponytail is brand-new. I am never eating Tapioca Pudding ever again!"  
They entered their classroom and saw a boy kneeling on the floor with his hands clasped together on his desk. He was holding a blue ornate rosary.  
"RJ Kyoichi Ramirez," Mimi whispered, "His mom's a Filipino, that's why he's so religious. Nobody ever goes near him; they think he's weird or something."  
RJ looked up at them and smiled. He sat on his chair and began to work on his Japanese.  
"Hello, RJ, praying as usual?" Mimi smiled at him.  
"Yup," RJ answered, "I see Jira has gotten the better of you, huh? I can see by the Tapioca stain on your hair it wasn't pretty."  
Mimi giggled and went to her seat, followed closely by Jing and Kiko. They stared at RJ, who was writing Japanese in his notebook. Just then, Gee and Leonel appeared on the door looking flushed and with bits of gelatin on the front of their uniforms.  
The dreaded afternoon came. Unknown to the rest, Jing's heart was thumping faster and faster as she went to the girl's room together with Gee and Mimi. She had to go to the music room first to practice a new sonata on the modified violin for it was only four-thirty.  
"She's nervous," Gee noted.  
"For a tomboy, you're pretty good," Mimi told Gee as she took off the vest of her school uniform so that it wouldn't be too hot.  
The three of them went out the girl's room vest-less. The music room was empty when they came in. Leonel caught up with them on the way to get a taste of Jing's music. Jing played and her Gate power was unleashed. The room became dead silent as Jing played and the gang stared in awe at her. Music washed over them like magic, only stopping when they heard someone exit the room.  
"Someone's heard you," Leonel said.  
"Hey guys!" Eric called from the Mimi's watch-communicator, "It's five, the Chief is getting paranoid, and you better get your butts here on the double!"  
"Well, time for your big meeting Jing-kun!" Mimi said, patting Jing's shoulder playfully, "and if I could give you any advice, it's be yourself and don't take it too seriously."  
Jing made her way to the now empty campus to the bench near the acacia. She mustered up her courage and sat on it. She looked around but only saw Peist, the keeper.  
"He won't come," She said to herself, "He's probably as nervous as I am. Well, I can't wait for him forever, might as well join the others in the HQ."  
She stood up and heard a faint rustling from the nearby bushes. Her heart leaped, but then she felt a tremor on the ground.  
"Earthquake???" she held on to the bench.  
The ground suddenly opened up and a huge Invader leapt from the hole. Jing suddenly made a dash to her bag, but the Invader (who was in the form of a giant slug this time) had flattened it out terribly. Jing began to panic as she avoided the Invader's attacks with precision. Her violin had been in that bag, and she couldn't do anything by singing.  
The Invader made a swipe at her and found herself cornered in the school wall. This is it, she thought, they're really going to hurt me this time! I'm done for! Finished! Oh God-huh?  
RJ, the boy who was praying that lunch break had now stepped in front of her and shielded her from the Invader. A Gate had opened up before him as he stood on his feet with enduring valor. His Gate power repelled the Invader's attack, forming a gray shield on Jing and himself. He smiled at Jing as the Invader was crushed into a thousand green pieces.  
"I don't know how exactly did I do that but the important thing is that you and I are safe from that-uh-thing," RJ said, helping Jing up from the ground.  
"Yeah, I thought I was dead meat back there, arigato," Jing grinned, "And I know exactly what you did. I do that too, I'm also a Gatekeeper."  
"Gatekeeper?" RJ asked, "Do you mean there's more like me? I've been doing that for quite a while now but I didn't know we were called that."  
"There are lots of things you don't know," Jing said, "Iwanu ga hana. Incidentally, were you the one sending me all those letters I found?"  
"It seems there are a lot of things you don't know either," RJ smiled, "It was me, your friend Gee agreed to help me pick out the cards and put them in your locker in the girls' locker room. She was laughing half the way but I didn't mind her."  
"Are you serious with what you wrote?" Jing asked.  
"Would I send them if I weren't serious," RJ told her.  
In the distance, the others were watching them intently.  
"I thought the Chief said there was an Invader around here," Leonel complained, "The Chief's being overly paranoid."  
"But isn't it sweet?" Mimi said.  
"Sweet my butt," Kiko replied.  
"You're just jealous because you have a crush on Jing!" Gee giggled under her breath.  
"I DO NOT!" Kiko exclaimed.  
"This reminds me of Byron's poem" Mimi said and then quoted:  
  
"Love me little, love me long, Love will find its way,  
Through paths where wolves, Would fear to prey,  
And if it dares, 'Twere hard, If passion met, Not some reward."  
  
"What the hell does that mean?" Gee asked.  
"If I knew the answer I wouldn't have quoted that poem anyway," Mimi said, glancing sadly at Kiko who was peering at RJ and Jing with a fixed stare, "Love is indeed a mysterious thing..." 


	7. The Perfect Princess?

Chapter 7  
The Perfect Princess  
  
Mimi arrived one fateful Monday morning in school with the biggest frown on her face. Not a single student in the room stirred as she walked to her seat. Tension can be felt up to the back of the classroom. Every eye, excluding Gee's, was upon her. Jira was the first to break the dreadful silence, with her usual insult file of course.  
"What the hell happened?" Gee asked, "It looks like the whole classroom was confronted by a herd of Dementors!"  
"What's a Dementor?" Leonel asked eagerly.  
"Never mind."  
"Didn't you hear? It's all in the news," Jira told her in a disgusted tone, "Prince Sebastiano Grinald of Maraqui is marrying the wife of the late Duke of England, Duchess Antoinette Renaldi."  
"I-if that's true, then that makes Mimi a-," Gee gasped.  
"Princess, yes," Jing finished for her, "Technically, since she's the only child, though illegitimate, of Antoinette Renldi who didn't die in the plane crash years back and King Grinald is sterile from cancer; it makes her the next heir to the throne."  
"Oh my God," Gee exclaimed, "That's good isn't it?"  
"She's just a lucky duck," Jira said when the teacher entered the room and started to teach, "Whoever heard of the school nerd becoming a princess?"  
"She's right," Mimi mumbled, "I'm too awkward and childish to be a princess. If I can't take care of a hamster for a few days what makes you think I can take care of a whole country?"  
"My Auntie can teach you," Jing reassured her, "I've been brought up by her and her training is fit for a princess. You can come over by my house later."  
"You think she can make a two-week deadline?" Mimi asked, "The Grand Maraqui Ball is going to be held here in accordance with my entrée to the Maraquians."  
"Believe me, there's nothing she can't do."  
"I can't come," Gee said, "Leonel and I've got to do something for Professor March."  
"Miss Fukusama, Miss Yoshida and our very own princess," Professor Banks said, "If you can't keep your mouth shut, then you better leave."  
At this, Gee stopped talking abruptly while the three of them lapsed into silent giggles.  
The day was gone as quickly as it had come. They were soon speeding in Kiko's car to Jing's place. Gee and Leonel were absent of course, seeing as it would be a while to fix Professor March's TV antenna.  
"Let me tell you something, Mimi," RJ said as the car stopped in front of Jing's house, "Once you get to the top, don't you dare forget us!"  
"I won't," Mimi replied, "If I could ever get there, I mean."  
"Just try to remember what my Filipino mom would say," RJ told her as the butler opened the door, "Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay may stiff neck."  
"What does that mean?" Mimi asked.  
RJ explained it all to her as they went into the mansion. Jing's Auntie greeted them from the great hall, although she looked at Mimi quite disapprovingly.  
"So, you're the young lady who needs a bit of my magic?" Jing's auntie said, "Anyway, sit down, I need to ask you a few questions."  
Mimi sat down beside Kiko as RJ and Jing went off to explore.  
"Do you like literature, Mimi?" Auntie's voice suddenly became gentler.  
"Duh, she even goes into a daze when she's reading Shakespeare and doesn't take notice of any of us," Kiko sighed.  
"Right," Auntie began, "I always tell Jing to remember these rhymes when she faces an audience. It's a small secret to acting like a little princess."  
She began reciting:  
  
"All good girls are made of everything nice,  
But if you add sugar, don't forget to add spice. It's your face and your smile,  
That will make you last awhile. You don't need a counter-spell,  
A brave heart will work as well."  
  
Mimi blinked, she wasn't sure she got everything right on her head. Luckily, Kiko had taken down everything on a notebook.  
"You don't need to copy it down, all the stuff you need is in yourself..."  
For the next two weeks, Mimi trained under Auntie's nose. She was every bit of brilliant as Jing described her. As the ball drew nearer still, Mimi was stressed out. The anxiety coupled with the Invader attacks from all over Japan, the Midterm Exams coming on December and the pesky press was enough to keep her rugged.  
The night of the ball finally came, which had Mimi pacing around in her bedroom in a lavender tube dress that her dad had sent the night before. Her hair was done and the only thing that was left was for her to go to the ball. She had met up with her mother to pick up her dress earlier. She and the King had arrived the night before. The King was very gracious and friendly to her and she liked his deep sense of humor. But he would never replace her daddy who can't come because of urgent business.  
"What was I thinking?" she said to Kiko who had arrived five minutes ago to wish her luck, "I can't go out there and face the lot of them!"  
"Mimi, listen to me," Kiko said, giving her a little shake, "It's too late to turn back now. You're a princess, and you're the most perfect and beautiful princess I have ever seen in my whole life. Well, you're the only princess I have seen in my whole life. But you are beautiful. Do me a favor and show them who you really are."  
Mimi smiled and gave him a hug.  
"Just do me a favor too and be my escort for tonight," Mimi requested hopefully and Kiko smiled in reply.  
They entered the hotel late and everyone cleared their way to make way for the princess and her escort. Mimi entered the ballroom with the grace and smile of a real princess. That night, she wasn't the Mimi who was always moody and always bit her fingernails; she was the Mimi who was a perfect princess.  
"Presenting the arrival of Princess Miharu Relina Yagami," the announcer said over the noise.  
"Your name is Miharu?" Kiko said in surprise.  
"Mimi is my nickname," she smiled at the new queen and king who were taking their seats across the room, "Good thing I don't have to make a speech."  
As soon as the atmosphere cooled down, everyone got to dance. Kiko and Mimi danced their way into the veranda overlooking the hotel garden.  
"Satisfied, princess?" he asked.  
"Well, there was a part where Anne Hathaway got to kiss the guy who played Michael Moscovitz in the Princess Diaries, but I guess that won't happen to me," she said jokingly, "I don't have a prince or Michael Moscovitz here anyway."  
Kiko smiled, a thing in him was urging him, but he wasn't sure if he should. Mimi waited, looking at the garden below them and pretending to be interested.  
"Oh, yeah?" Kiko said, getting Mimi to face him.  
Kiko stepped towards her and took a deep breath. Mimi had the sudden urge to run for it but she stood rooted on the spot. Kiko's face was just centimeters from her own and she knew it was coming...  
BEEP!!! Rang her watch. The atmosphere was broken immediately. Miss Kitakami was on it, demanding them to come there straight away. Kiko stared at Miss Kitakami bitterly.  
"You have to come, straight away!" Miss Kitakami exclaimed, "Invaders are attacking Ichikawa and they're ripping it to pieces! Well, except for Mimi of course."  
Kiko sighed and smiled at Mimi. He went off to get the others. But he stopped and kissed Mimi's cheek, and then he went off again, leaving Mimi in a shocked silence.  
"See you later, princess!" he called as he disappeared into the crowd. 


End file.
